Ring binder construction



J. SCHADE 2,297,989

RING BINDER CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 23, 194l l I INVENTOR) J50 SCIYADE -BY 21 E 2 ATTOREYS Patented Oct. 6, 1942 RING BINDER CONSTRUCTION John Schade, Holyoke, Mass., assignor to National Blank Book Company, Holyoke, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 23, 1941, Serial No. 411,957

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a ring binder. Its object is to lower the cost of such a construction and while retaining some desirable advantages of more expensive constructions to add new advantages.

I will disclose the invention in its preferred form as shown in the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a complete binder with the covers cut away to save drawing space;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the end spring clips;

Fig. 3 is an outer, lower, end view of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is like Fig. 3 but with the ring back panel and covers related to it, the ring being shown by full lines in closed position and in dotted lines in open position.

The binder case is made of a back panel I with hinged covers 2. For the toggle mechanism I provide two bent wires 3. Their bent ends form the ring halves 4 and other bent portions the toggle joints 5. This is the well known wire toggle frame, shown for example in Patent No. 1,556,416, of 1925.

It has been customary to use a spring plate functioning also as a cover plate from one end of the back panel to the other for the wire toggle frame. This is also indicated in th above-mentioned patent. Instead of such spring and cover plate, I use two spring clips 6 which I will now describe.

The clip 6 of Fig. 2 is made with an arched cross section. I prefer to provide two ribs as at 1. This will stifien the construction. The edges H] of the clip are turned under adapting them to engage the side wires 3. Slots 8 are provided at one end. As shown, they are open slots outwardly of the clip, and closed inwardly. They are spaced to receive the ring halves 4 in the assembly operation and in their final position. I preferably bend over the outer end edge 9 of the clip between the slots as shown in Fig. 3.

One advantage in my construction is the ease and rapidity in the assembly of the parts. The side Wires 3 are first assembled with their toggle joints in contact. One of the clips 6 is placed over the wires near their center. The wires at their center are easily sprung toward one another, the clip placed over them and when released, the wires spring back to engage the downturned clip edges Ill. The clip can now slide easily along the wire to its end position. In the assembly the open slots 8 pass the ring halves for the rings to be received in the slots. As shown in this position the clip covers one of the toggle joints 5. Each open slot 8 of the clip provides edges straddling the material of the adjacent ring half. In such position the clip 6 is riveted at I I between the ribs 1 to the back panel. Each clip 6 of course is assembled and riveted in the same manner. Such assembly is fast and easy.

The wire frame toggle mechanism is held on the back panel by the clips. They cover the inner working parts of the toggle mechanism operating also as the spring means for the toggle mechanism. The appearance of this final assembly is simple and neat. While my main object is economy of construction, attained by the small amount of material used, it should be observed that good appearance is also attained. The book as a whole is not only of good appearance but also of reduced weight. This is a real advantage to the user. These advantages in the book are present without sacrifice of any functional advantage in the working of the rings and toggle mechanism which hold the rings open or closed, as desired.

What I claim is:

A ring binder construction comprising a back panel and hinged covers, a wire frame toggle mechanism of the kind having spaced Wires bent at their ends to form end binding rings and adjacent bent portions forming toggle links, spring clips, one at each end of the toggle mechanism, each clip having its side edges turned down to engage the toggle frame wires and having open ended slots to straddle adjacent ring halves, each clip being riveted to the back panel, whereby an efiicient, easily assembled ring mechanism of light weight and good appearance is provided in the binder construction.

JOHN SCHADE. 

